Friends Forever
by OneMillionHeartsForYou
Summary: Another "Panem as a high school" story! Co-written with TogetherWeCanFly! It's better than it sounds, I'm just not good at summaries!
1. Chapter 1

**Yes another story where Panem is a high school! I know I already have one but Azalea (TogetherWeCanFly) told me that she's been wanting to write one but she doesn't have time. That's where I come in! XD So the first chapter is written by Azalea; here it is! Please review!**

P POV

Sometimes I still dream of her. I still wonder what she's doing. If she still sings, if she still dances, if she still plays her guitar. If she still thinks about me. Of course, I wouldn't blame her if she didn't. It's been about six years. She used to write letters to me, telling me about all the new songs she was learning and all the competitions she had won, and she always ended the letters by saying how much she missed me. At ten years of age, the letters came at least once a month. By the time we turned eleven, though, they only came two or three times a year. Twelve, once a year. Something I would look forward to and wait for every year. By the time we were thirteen, the letters became nonexistent. As if she had just forgotten about me. Or worse, maybe she stopped caring. I never will, though; she was my best friend, after all.

"Peeta, get up!" my mother yells from the kitchen. "You don't want to be late for the first day, do you?"

Actually, mother, I wouldn't mind that at all. However, I stand up and trudge to my closet. I pull on a simple T-shirt and jeans and run my fingers through my hair. In case you're wondering, I haven't always been this way. I used to look forward to the first day of school. That is, until she left. Then I started hating school. At first, my only friend was Madge, but then we eventually started finding new friends. I befriended Gale, for example, after Madge confessed that she had a crush on him. She wouldn't talk to me for days, but she eventually warmed up to the idea of just being friends with him.

I grab my bag and run downstairs. As soon as I sit down at the table, my mother hits me shoulder.

"Don't even think about it!" she hisses. "You don't have time for breakfast!"

"I'll just-"

"Go to school!" she cuts in. "Now!"

"Fine," I sigh, standing up and heading for the door.

The entire walk is pretty lonely because one of my brothers graduated last year, and my other brother left a few minutes before me. The town is already full with people hurrying to work or walking their young children to school. I recognize quite a few of them, but that's not enough to make me want to talk to them.

When I get to the school, I see Madge, Gale, Annie, Finnick, and Delly sitting under one of the trees in the courtyard. Gale sits in the shade so that none of the teachers will see him doing his homework. I sit down next to him and look over his shoulder.

"You know you're not gonna finish that, right?" I say, looking down at the five-page packet in his lap.

"Sure, I can," he mutters, scribbling down wrong answer after wrong answer.

"You had all summer to do that, and you waited until the first day of school?" I continue.

"Yeah, well... shut up, Peeta," he groans.

"So, who else is excited for the first day of school?" Delly asks.

"Oh, Delly," Madge sighs. "You'll learn."

I chuckle a little bit. Delly is still a freshman, so I can see why she would be excited. Madge rests her head against the tree and closes her eyes. Finnick and Annie are talking to each other quietly. Gale is doing his homework. Delly has stood up to talk to some other freshmen. So, I sit there, just looking around the courtyard. There's nothing interesting, really. Just people hugging each other and talking about how much they missed each other. Then, I see a girl with black hair pulled into a braid. Wait, is that... No, it can't be. I shake my head and look down, convinced that my eyes are playing tricks on me.

The bell rings, and Gale groans angrily, staring at the unfinished packet in front of him.

"I told you you wouldn't finish," I tease.

"Oh, shut up," he mutters. "My teacher is gonna kill me."

"Tell them that Posy ate it!" Madge suggests.

"Yeah, they'll definitely believe that," he says sarcastically.

"Uh-huh!" she confirms.

I chuckle, and Gale rolls his eyes as we stand up and walk to the school doors. He and Finnick are both seniors, so they have to go in the opposite direction. Madge, Annie, and I all have very different last names, so we have to separate as well for homeroom, which is fine since it's only about five minutes. I take the five minutes to organize my books, even though I'm sure that if a stranger was watching me, they might think I have obsessive compulsive disorder or something. When we're allowed to leave, I see Annie first at the end of the hall, talking to another girl, much shorter than her. She looks up, waves, and gestures for me to come over. I push through the crowds of people in the hallway until I get to them.

"Look, I found a new student!" she says excitedly.

I laugh at the excited look in her eyes; Annie has always wanted to be the first to befriend a new student. The girl turns around, and her eyes widen. I'm pretty sure mine did as well, but I wasn't really paying attention to that. I stared right back at her. Her long black braid, her olive skin, her grey eyes.

"Katniss?" I ask.

Then, suddenly I'm afraid- for some reason- that it's not actually her, and this girl will think I'm crazy. But she doesn't. She just smiles and nods a little. Before I know what I'm doing, I've wrapped my arms around her.

"I guess you missed me," she murmurs into my shoulder.

"Just a little," I joke as I pull away. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she teases. "We moved back."

"Wait," Annie cuts in. "How do you guys already know each other?"

"Well..." we both say in unison.

Katniss blushes, and I smile until I see the guilty look in her eyes.

"We used to be best friends," I continue. "But then she moved when we were ten years old."

"Where to?" Annie asks.

"Lots of places," she answers. "We would move wherever we could find a new audition or competition or something."

"Sounds fun!" Annie chirps.

Her smile falters for a second; she must see that I want to talk to Katniss alone because she immediately excuses herself and walks away. I look back down at Katniss, who is now biting her lip.

"I'm sorry I stopped writing," she says quietly.

"It doesn't matter," I lie.

Of, course it does matter. I would wait so long for her to write to me. To hear from her. To know what she was doing and where she was. To know that she was still thinking about me. But that would sound obsessive and a bit creepy, so I can't really say that.

"I mean, I know you were really busy," I say, smiling. "I'm sure your Dad had you going from one competition to another every day!"

She smiles a little. I can tell that it's fake, but I don't say anything.

"Yeah, he was..." she trails off. "Anyway, I just wanted to say sorry."

"Don't worry about it!" I reassure her, actually meaning it this time. "Come on, we should get to class."


	2. Chapter 2

**Another chapter by Azalea! :P I'll write the next chapter I promise! She put the flashbacks in italics, just so you know what's going on. XD Please review! :D**

P POV

When it is time for lunch, I see that Annie has already brought Katniss to our table. Once we all have our food, we sit talking and laughing. I am filled with relief as I realize how comfortable Katniss is with my friends. She talks to Madge mostly, but I don't blame her for that; Madge and I were her closest friends before she left.

"So, you said you guys were best friends when you were ten, right?" Annie asks.

"Right," I confirm. "But we met when we were about eight."

"Do we get a story?" Finnick teases.

"Yeah, tell us the story," Delly says, giggling.

"Well..." Katniss starts.

The scene begins to play out in my mind as she describes it.

_I stood behind the counter in the bakery with my dad when we heard someone walk in. It was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, but her daughter had black hair and grey eyes. My father told me to call the woman Mrs. Everdeen and the little girl Katniss. Mrs. Everdeen and my father began to talk, and she explained that they had just come from a dance class. But the little girl lost interest in her mother's conversation quickly. She wandered over to the corner of the bakery and dropped her bag. She then reached up and pulled her hair out of the bun so that her hair fell over her shoulders in thick, black waves._

_"What?" she asked, making me realize that I was still staring._

_"Nothing," I said, shrugging. "I'm Peeta."_

_"Katniss," she said as she braided her hair._

_I looked down and realized that she was standing on her toes as she looked around the room._

_"How come you're standing like that?" I asked._

_"I don't know," she said, shrugging. "Practicing, I guess. My mom said that if I practice, I'll be a good dancer."_

_"You wanna be a dancer?"_

_"Not really, but my mom wants me to," she said. "It makes her happy when I dance. Know why?"_

_"Why?" I asked._

_"'Cause I'm the best dancer in the world," she joked._

_She giggled, and I couldn't help but laugh, too; Her smile was too contagious._

_"What about you?" she asked. "What do you wanna be?"_

_"A painter," I said. "I could paint you right now, if you want."_

_She smiled again, making me do the same._

_"Okay," she said, giggling a little._

_"Katniss!" Mrs. Everdeen called from the counter. "It's time to go home!"_

_"Maybe next time," Katniss said, picking up her bag._

_"Hey, wait!" I called as she started to walk away._

_"Yeah?" she asked._

_"Do you wanna be friends?" I asked. _

_She smiled one more time and shrugged. _

_"Okay," she said before following her mother._

After that, Katniss and I would spend time together when one of her parents came to the bakery. We would stand in the corner, just talking. Katniss always stood on her toes, and I always watched her, wondering if she would ever go down. She never did. She even showed me some new dance moves that she had learned if we had nothing to talk about, which only happened once or twice. We did this from the age of eight all the way to ten, until her father announced that they were moving. We stood in our corner, like we always did. But instead of talking, she hugged me for the first time and told me that she would write me every time she could get her hands on a pen and paper.

"Aw, what a cute story," Delly squeaks, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Yes, I remember the days when it wasn't weird to just ask someone if they want to be friends," Madge sighs.

"I miss those days," Annie agrees.

"I never did that," Gale cuts in. "I always thought that was weird."

"Your face is weird," Annie retorts. Madge giggles.

"I like his face!" Katniss jokes.

Gale smiles triumphantly, and Annie smirks. But I start to feel something strange. Anger? No, that's not it. What would I be angry about, anyway? I try to shrug it off. We all keep talking until the lunch period is over. We return our trays, and I head straight for Katniss.

"What do you have now?" I ask.

"Choir," she responds. "You?"

"Art," I say. "They're close to each other, so I can walk with you."

"Good," she says, smiling.

"So, I wanted to ask you something," I say.

"Shoot," she chirps.

"Why did you stop writing?" I ask.

"Oh..." she says quietly, looking down at her feet as we walk. "Well, that is... not something I can explain in the five minutes before class."

"When can you tell me, then?"

"After school?" she suggests.

"Sounds good," I say, stopping in front of the music room. "Here we are!"

"Great," she says, faking a smile again. "I'll see you later, then."

xXx

At the end of the day, I find her waiting near the doors. I smile and walk right up to her, leading her into the courtyard. Only when she says nothing do I realize that whatever she wants to tell me must be pretty bad. We sit down next to the trees where our friends will come to meet us.

"So, what happened?" I ask after a few seconds of silence.

"Um..." she starts. "When we moved, there were so many new classes and competitions."

"I know," I cut in. "You told me in your letters."

She smiles just the slightest bit, but her face turns serious quickly.

"When I was eleven, I had a very important competition to go to," she explains, even though I already know this from her letter. "It was pretty far from where we lived, so we didn't have time to actually move or anything. So, my dad decided to take me there, and then he would just record it so that Prim and my mom could see it. See, I had to get there a few hours earlier, so he decided to drive around until the show started. Find something to eat, maybe. I don't know. But when I went on, he wasn't there. I figured that maybe I just couldn't see him in the audience. But then, the show was over, and I was waiting for him to come and get me, but he didn't. The only person left was the teacher, waiting with me, but there was nobody there for me. The teacher called my mom, and she called the police, and..."

"And what?" I pressed.

"They found him," she croaks before clearing her throat. "They found him in his car. On the side of the road. He was in an accident. By the time they found him, he was..."

She shakes her head slightly. I know that she doesn't want to say the last word, so I don't make her. I only take her hand in mine and give it a reassuring squeeze.

"Anyway," she continues. "That's why it was so hard to write. I tried to, but it just didn't feel the same, I guess. I'm sorry."

"It's all right," I say.

"It already took so much energy just to keep dancing. I only did it because it made my mom happy. Well, not exactly happy, but she always felt just a little bit better when I danced."

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" I ask.

"This isn't exactly something I could write in a letter," she snorts. "I would've told you sooner if I could."

She squeezes my hand once, but then she lets go and picks up her bag.

"Your friends are coming," she points out.

"_Our _friends," I remind her.

"Okay, Corny," she teases.

I chuckle and help her up so that we can join the group.


	3. Chapter 3

**Very short yes yes :P But I'm very busy lol Please review!**

**xXx**

"What's the next chord?" Katniss asks.

"D," I tell her.

"Okay," she mumbles as she plays the chord and then grabs the paper from me. "That doesn't sound right."

"Maybe you're not playing it right," I smirk.

"It's D _minor_ Peeta!" she sighs.

"You've been playing for like half an hour," I say. "Give it a rest!"

"Fine," she says as she puts down her guitar and lays down on her bed. "What now?"

"I don't know," I shrug as I sit on the bed next to her.

It really is good to have her back. I missed this. We don't even have to talk. Even sitting around like this is fine with me, at least she's here.

"Where's Prim?" I ask.

"I don't know," she shrugs. "Out."

"Out making friends probably," I chuckle.

"Yes she is my little social butterfly," she smiles.

"So what do you think of everybody else?" I ask because I really want her to get along with my friends. "Do you like them?"

"Yeah," she says. "Especially Gale. I love the way him and Annie argue, it's funny."

"So you like Annie and Gale?" I ask even though I realize seconds later that it was a stupid question.

"I..." she trails off. "Yeah."

"What were you gonna say?" I ask.

"Nothing," she shrugs.

"You're a really bad liar," I chuckle. "You know that right?"

She pushes me playfully and purses her lips.

"If you must know," she smirks, "I really like that Gale guy. I think we could be close friends."

"Really?" I ask even though the way it comes out makes it sound like I'm surprised by this.

"Yeah really," she sighs. "You don't have a problem with that do you?"

"I guess not," I reply. "Since when do you need my permission?"

"Since you're my best friend maybe?" she giggles. "I wouldn't feel right if I was with someone you don't want me to be around. I mean you're like my brother."

"Hm," I huff.

For some reason, that really rubs me the wrong way. I try to shrug it off, but it's pretty tough. She rolls onto her stomach and looks me in the eye.

"How about a double date?" she smirks.

"Yeah okay," I snort. "Who would I go with?"

"Madge, Delly, Annie," she suggests. "The possibilities are endless."

"Annie is with Finnick you know," I tell her.

"That explains why they're always so touchy-feely," she says.

I chuckle and pick up a picture frame on her desk. I look at it and find a picture of Katniss smiling with her arms wrapped around some guy's neck from behind. My cheeks turn red in jealousy. It must be that older brother thing she was talking about.

"Who's this?" I ask.

"Oh that's Drew," she says happily. "He was in some of my classes at school after I moved."

"Did he have a crush on you or something?" I ask casually as I stare at the smile on his freckled face.

"No," she says quickly.

"How do you know?"

"Drew had a girlfriend," she shrugs.

"Oh," I say.

And suddenly Drew doesn't seem so ugly. I really shouldn't be so protective. I'm her best friend, not her brother. _Definitely_ not her brother. She moves over so that she's right next to me. She puts her head on my shoulder and I feel something weird in my stomach. We used to do this all the time... maybe I'm just excited that she's back.

"What about you?" she asks. "Any girlfriends after I left?"

"No," I say honestly. "I mean I tried but none of them really felt right. What about you?"

"I was one of those too-busy-for-boys people," she giggles. "I don't really see the point anyway."

I don't say anything mostly because I don't know what to say. Back when she was about nine years old, she said that she would love to get married so that she could have kids. She said she would let her kids do whatever makes them happy, probably because she hates being forced to dance. But now she's back and she suddenly doesn't even see the point of being with someone. I can't help but wonder what else has changed.

"Do you still dance?" I ask out of nowhere.

"No," she says, "you know I hate dance."

"I just can't believe your mom let you quit," I say.

"My mom doesn't care what I do," she mumbles as she buries her face in my shoulder. "You smell really good."

"That's not awkward at all," I chuckle.

"I don't care," she smiles. "Teach me how to bake."

"Why?" I ask.

"I don't know," she shrugs. "We met in the bakery, we spent most of our time in the bakery, and you smell like the bakery, so..."

"We should go to the bakery," I finish.

"Really?" she asks.

"Yeah why not?" I say. "You want to learn, so I'll teach you!"

"Okay," she says. "Just one more thing."

"Sure," I say.

"Don't be surprised if I accidentally burn the bakery down."


	4. Chapter 4

**Azalea said that our writing styles are kind of similar... Just for fun, I'll let you guys guess who wrote this chapter :P Please review!**

**xXx**

Once Katniss has finally tied the apron behind her back I lead her to the counter. I start measuring everything out while she just stands there waiting.

"You're measuring everything _for _me?" she asks. "Oh come on!"

"What?" I ask.

"That's the easiest job!" she says. "There's no way I could screw that up!"

"Whereas you could screw up everything else," I chuckle.

"Shut up," she mutters as she pushes me lightly.

"We're going to start off with something very easy," I say. "Something that you cannot possibly mess up."

"Yet somehow, I'll still mess it up," she giggles.

I put the egg whites, cream, salt, sugar, and lemon peel into the bowl and hand her a whisk.

"Go ahead," I say.

"Just stir?" I nod. "What am I even making?"

"Lemon Meringue Cookies of course," I reply.

"Oh yeah of _course_," she smirks as she starts stirring together. "How will I know when to stop?"

"Just keep going," I say. "I'll stop you when it's done."

"So I see that you haven't learned any new recipes since I left," she says.

"Not true," I counter. "I learned how to make a french strawberry tart..."

"That's it? Oh Peeta you're such a tart," she smirks.

"Don't use my baking vocabulary against me!"

"What are you gonna do about it?" she asks.

"I know where you're ticklish," I threaten.

"True," she nods. "Very true, but you wouldn't do that because I would end up dropping the meringue and then I would run away so that you would have to clean it up."

"Hm... Is it worth it?" I chuckle.

"I'll let you decide," she smiles.

I can tell by that smile that she's so sure she's won this. And I can't let that happen! So I grab her quickly and poke at her sides making her squeal and laugh uncontrollably. She falls onto her knees and I follow her to the ground. That's when I realize that she did in fact spill the meringue. I stop tickling her so that I can look around. It didn't spread out too much so it should be easy to clean up.

"I can't believe you did that."

I look over and see Katniss smirking at me.

"I pretty much told you I was going to!" I chuckle.

"You're such a tart Peeta," she sighs.

"I don't think you've learned your lesson," I joke.

"I don't think you've learned _your _lesson," she retorts as she picks up a handful of the spilled meringue and smashes it against my arm.

"You wanna go?" I ask as seriously as I can.

"Bring it," she says as she fails to hold back a smile.

I grab her arms and push her back against the counter carefully.

"See? It only takes five seconds," I smirk.

"That's not fair!" she retorts. "I wasn't ready!"

"Yeah, right," I say.

"Peeta?"

"Yeah?"

"We're weird, aren't we?"

"Oh yeah," I chuckle. "We are very weird people."

She laughs a little and looks down. That's when I realize that I was still holding onto her. I let go quickly.

"Sorry," I say.

She shrugs and leans back further to catch her breath.

"Maybe I should take up wrestling too," she says. "What do you think?"

"I don't think you're ready for that yet," I chuckle.

"What makes you think that?" she asks as she sits up again.

She goes to punch my arm but I grab her hands and pin her once again.

"Too slow," I smirk.

"How about this: I'll get really good and then I'll come back and beat you up," she suggests.

"You do that," I tease.

"I think this is the part where I run away because I don't want to help you clean up," she says.

"Too bad you let me pin you," I chuckle. "Now you can never leave."

"Nonsense, you have to move sometime," she says. "I mean can you imagine how angry your mother would be if she was to walk in right now and see that you've made a mess _and _attacked a girl?"

"The attack part I think she'd be fine with," I joke. "But I guess I should clean up."

I pick up a towel from the counter and start cleaning the mess.

"You can run away now if you want," I chuckle.

"No thanks. I'll just sit here and watch you clean up," she shrugs. "It's almost as good as revenge."

"For what?"

"For tickling me," she replies. "And showing me that I can never fulfill my dreams of being a professional wrestler."

"Dreams of being a professional wrestler," I repeat as I try not to laugh. "When did that happen?"

"Five minutes ago," she says. "So what? You wanna fight about it?"

"Aw, you haven't changed a bit," I tease.

She kneels down next to me as I finish cleaning up.

"Neither have you," she says.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.

"Nothing," she shrugs.

I look up at her but she is now looking at the ground. I wave my hand in front of her face. She smiles and swats my hand away.

"Sometimes I wish I knew what was going on in your head," I say.

She looks up hopefully and stares at me for a second.

"Maybe I could tell you," she suggests.

"Go ahead," I chuckle.

"Okay well... See I just think that... If we-"

"Peeta!"

My head whips around in the general direction of the yell and I hear the bakery door close.

"That's my mom," I say. "You should probably go."

"Yeah... yeah," she says slowly. "No offense Peeta, but your mom scares the crap out of me."

"Me too," I joke as we rush to the back door.

She waves goodbye and runs back home. I walk back into the kitchen and I can't help but wonder what Katniss was going to say before my mother interrupted her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for guessing, those of you who did! But actually Azalea didn't write the last chapter... I did! Surprised? X) Anyway this chapter is written by Azalea. Please review!**

**xXx**

Luckily, my mom was in a good mood yesterday, so she only started ranting a little bit about how incompetent I am when she saw the mess that Katniss and I made.

_Katniss._

I find myself smiling as my mind replays all of what happened yesterday. It's so good to have her back; I haven't had that much fun in a long time. Still, I can't help but wonder what she was going to say before my mother walked in.

"Hey, Peeta," Finnick calls.

"Hey," I reply, barely paying attention.

We walk together to the tree where we always meet. When I look, I see that Madge and Gale are already there, but I only manage to get a glimpse of them before Finnick pulls me back.

"We should probably give them a minute," he suggests.

"What?" I ask. "Why?"

"Madge didn't tell you?" I shake my head. "She told me that she was going to tell Gale that she likes him today. That's probably what they're doing right now."

I look back, and I see that he's probably right since Gale's eyes are wide and Madge's cheeks- more like her entire face- are red.

"Finnick!"

I turn around and see Annie rushing towards us. She stops short when she sees what we were looking at.

"Did she do it?" she asks hopefully.

"Looks that way," he says, putting an arm around Annie's shoulders.

"Oh, come on, Gale!" she mutters to herself. "Say something, you moron!"

I chuckle quietly as I turn my attention back to Madge and Gale. Just as Gale is about to say something, Madge shakes her head and starts talking again. We watch in confusion as she stands up and scurries away. Annie groans and runs over to Gale, closely followed by Finnick and me.

"What happened?" she asks.

"She... likes me," he says slowly as if he doesn't even believe it.

"I know _that_," Annie huffs. "But-"

"Wait," he cuts in. "You guys knew?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're sorry we didn't tell you and all that jazz," she says. "Look, just tell us what happened."

"Fine," he sighs. "I just didn't really know what to say at first, but then she got all embarrassed and she just said 'never mind' and ran away!"

"Never mind?" Annie repeats. "Are you kidding me?"

"Annie, now is not the time," Finnick cuts in. "Maybe in a year or two, Madge will look back on this and laugh... but definitely not now."

"Try five years," I say. "And even then, be careful."

"Hey, guys," Delly greets as she walks toward us. "Is there a reason why Madge is crying and yelling at Katniss in the girls' bathroom?"

"Yup," Annie says without further explanation.

"I'll go get them," I offer.

Nobody stops me as I cross the campus and head in the direction of the girls' bathroom. When I get there, I stand awkwardly for a few seconds before I finally decide to knock on the door.

"Katniss?" I call. "Madge?"

I jump back as the door swings open, but I calm down when I see that it's just Katniss. She smiles a little bit, and my heart skips a beat... Probably because this is a nerve-racking situation...

"Is she all right?" I ask.

"She's fine," Katniss replies. "She just needs a minute alone."

I nod as she picks up her bag and walks out of the bathroom. We both stand across the hallway from the bathroom so that we'll be able to see Madge when she comes out. I look over at Katniss, and for some reason, I can't help but stare.

"You look really pretty," I say without thinking.

Her cheeks turn light pink, and I smile at the sight. I can't help it! She looks so adorable like that...

_Did I really just think that?_

"Thanks," she says. "Prim did my hair today."

"It looks nice," I say, tugging lightly on the tips of her hair.

"Thanks," she repeats, turning her face away a little.

Then, I remember that Katniss doesn't really like to be touched that much, so I put my hands bag in my pockets.

"Do you think you could wait for Madge alone?" she asks suddenly.

"Yeah, sure," I say.

"Okay," she says. "Then I'll see you later."

She picks up her bag and walks away before I even get the chance to say "goodbye".

**KPOV**

_You look really pretty._

I can't seem to get these words out of my mind. They're driving me insane. I just want it to stop. After all, he didn't mean it in that way, did he? He couldn't have.

Anyway, the last person that called me pretty was...

_Dad._

I squeeze my eyes shut for a second and shake my head to stop thinking about it as I continue on my way to the tree. When I get there, I see Annie glaring at Gale and Finnick sitting at her side.

"Hey, guys," I call.

"Hey," Finnick replies, as he's the only one that seems calm. "Sorry Madge freaked out on you."

"It's all right," I shrug, sitting down next to him.

"Why couldn't you just say something?" Annie sighs, never looking away from Gale.

"I didn't know what to say!" Gale says defensively.

"Well, you know now, so go and fix it!" she snaps.

"I don't-"

"Now!" she cuts in.

"Fine," he sighs, standing up and walking toward the bathroom.

I smile a little as Annie grins triumphantly. Finnick notices and chuckles.

"That's my girl," he says, patting her head.

Her smile widens, and she pecks his cheek. I feel a slight twinge of jealousy, but I don't know why. I try to ignore it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ahh! I'm sorry :( When I said that Annie kissed Finnick and Katniss got jealous it wasn't because she likes Finnick. Remember that quote in the book that said she was jealous of what Finnick and Annie _have_? That's what I was trying to do! Sorry if we wrote it wrong! :O I'm also sorry that I haven't written anything in a long time. I guess I just haven't really been feeling it lately. So Azalea wrote this one! :P Review please!**

**xXx**

It's finally third period, which means that I'll get to see Katniss again. I can't explain why I'm always so excited to see her, but honestly, I'm not complaining either. It's almost like my mood goes up just from being around her. I can literally _feel_ my eyes light up when I walk into English and see her sitting at her desk. I walk right up to her and kneel down next to her desk.

"Hey," she says, scooting over to the right side of the chair. "Wanna sit?"

"Sure," I say, squeezing in next to her. "So, what happened with Madge and Gale?"

"I don't know," she says, shrugging. "It was a fun surprise, though. One minute, I was washing my hands, and the next, Hurricane Madge was attacking me."

"An analogy _and _personification. Fantastic." She gives me a look. "What? We _are_ in English class!"

"Wow," she says, chuckling. "Anyway..."

"I just hope Madge and Gale fix this quickly."

"Me, too," she sighs. "I hate drama. And crying. And Madge had both of those things going this morning."

"You know I've always loved that about you."

"What?"

"You're so obvious about how much you care about people," I say sarcastically.

"Oh, shut it." She laughs.

I watch her as she opens her books, still smiling. After a few seconds, she looks up, which makes me look away.

"What?" she asks. "Is there something on my face?"

"No," I say.

"Then, what?"

I stay quiet for a few seconds, trying to come up with an answer.

"Oh, Peeta," she says, leaning toward me. "Are you entranced by my beauty? Am I just that beautiful?"

I stare at her for a moment, my mouth hanging open. I have absolutely no idea what to say. But then, she starts laughing to show that she was joking, so I follow her lead.

"Obviously," I reply, still laughing with her.

But the worst part is, I actually mean it.

**Katniss POV**

"Get it!" Gale yells. "Katniss, get it!"

"What?"

_Bang!_

The volleyball hits me right in the head, sending me to the floor. I let out a yell and bring my hand to my forehead. Maybe I should actually pay attention next time.

"Are you okay?" he asks, kneeling down next to me. I nod, and he turns to a girl who is watching us from the other side of the net. "What the hell, Johanna?"

"Oops, my bad," she says, still snickering.

"Dammit, Johanna," Gale mutters.

"I'm fine, Gale."

"Katniss, you have a huge bump on your head. You need an ice pack."

He turns around looking for Boggs, one of the coaches. Boggs sighs and gestures for us to go. And with that, Gale helps me up and walks with me to the nurse's office.

"Sorry I missed it," I mutter.

"Doesn't really matter."

I wait until we reach the empty hallways to ask him what I've been waiting to ask all day.

"So, what happened with Madge?"

"Nothing." He sighs.

"Oh, come on. _Something _happened_._"

"_Nothing _happened," he says exasperatedly. "We're still just friends."

"No offense, but seriously, Gale?"

"I know... I just wanna think about it a little first."

"You better think about it fast," I mutter. "That girl was a wreck this morning."

"Well, what about you?"

"What about me?" I give him a confused look, which makes him smirk.

"You're not fooling me with any of that 'best friend' crap." He chuckles. "Frankly, you guys aren't fooling any of us."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask defensively.

"It means..." He laughs again. "Never mind. Just forget it."

**Peeta POV**

"We're still just friends." Madge sighs quietly. "He said he needs time to think."

"Don't worry," I say. "I'm sure he'll come around."

"Thanks." She smiles slightly. Her eyes light up as if she's just come up with an idea, and her smile widens. "I'm sure she will, too."

"Who?" I ask.

She gives me a knowing look and raises her eyebrows, and suddenly, I know who she's talking about. I feel my face heating up, but I force out a laugh.

"We're just friends."

"Mhm, sure," she says, returning her attention to her Latin book. "Are you sure it's not... _amare_?"

Unfortunately, I don't have time to respond because the teacher begins to talk. The entire class becomes quiet, and I just sit there, trying not to let Madge's words get to me.

**xXx**

I sit waiting at the lunch table. I'm always here first. Madge always has to go to her locker, Gale and Katniss still have to change because they were just in Gym, Delly is sitting with a group of giggling freshman girls, and Annie and Finnick are probably at Annie's locker, seeing how far they can go before it's considered a PDA. I shudder slightly at the thought. At least, they don't do it in front of us anymore. That was just awkward.

"Hey."

I turn at the sound of her voice and smile as she sits next to me.

"Hey..." My smile fades as I look at her forehead. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing. Just a little volleyball massacre," she says sarcastically.

"Does it hurt?" I ask, reaching up to touch her face.

"No, not there. But if you go up a little bit, it probably will." She chuckles. "Anyway, you'll be happy to know that Gale avenged me while I was in the nurse's office."

"Damn straight," Gale mutters as he comes up behind us.

I pull my hand away from Katniss's face quickly, as if I had just been caught at the scene of a crime. Gale raises his eyebrow while Katniss laughs. I try to play it off like I was just surprised because I didn't know Gale was there. But he just keeps giving me that knowing look. He just has to keep making it difficult for me.

"Um, how did you avenge her?" I ask, trying to get myself out of the spotlight.

"It was pretty awesome," he says, taking the hint. "I got Johanna right in the back of her head when she wasn't looking. You should have seen her, it was great."

I roll my eyes, but I can't help but laugh with them. When I look up, I see Gale look down with an uncomfortable look in his eyes. I don't understand why until Madge sits down next to him.

"Hey, Madge," Katniss says, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Hey," she says, smiling a little.

"New record!"

I almost fall out of my chair as Annie practically yells in my ear. She giggles and sits down, closely followed by Finnick.

"New record!" she repeats. "There were so many teachers walking by, but not one of them yelled at us until Finnick-"

"Oh god, no, Annie," Madge cuts in, making a disgusted face.

"No, I swear!" she continues. "It was so funny! He-"

"Stop," I say, chuckling.

"You're just jealous." Finnick smirks as he pulls his lunch out of his book bag. "You just wish _your_ sex life was this good."

"Oh, yeah. Making out in front of lockers and being yelled at by teachers," Katniss retorts. "So jealous."

Gale and I laugh in spite of the annoyed look on Annie's face. She scrunches her nose and looks from Katniss, to Gale, to me, as if she's trying to figure out who she should attack. And I just keep praying that it's not me.

"And what about you?" she says, deciding on Gale.

Madge looks down, obviously uncomfortable, and Gale suddenly becomes angry.

"Don't start with that," he mutters.

"What? I'm just wondering why you _wouldn't _want to be with such a pretty-"

"Just mind your own business," he snaps.

The entire table goes quiet for a few seconds. Uncomfortable and angry looks are on everybody's face. That is, until Katniss decides to lighten the mood.

"So, Annie," she says. "How far _did_ you guys get? Did you get to take your shirt off?"

And for some strange reason, I start laughing. Madge smiles, and within seconds, she's laughing, too. Finally, Finnick joins in, then Annie, and even Gale. I smile and give Katniss a grateful look. In response, she smirks and winks at me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey there. I figured I should post an author's note because a bunch of people keep asking me what's going on with my stories. I'm gonna tell you what's going on with all of my stories and I'm going to post this to all of my stories.**

**1. Target The Weak: I am going to continue this one. I just started writing the next chapter but right now I'm just really busy and tired out. That's why I haven't updated in a while.**

**2. Rivalry: I'm still kinda frustrated that the entire story that I set up just got deleted so that's why it's taking me so long to get the story going again, but I am definitely trying to add to it.**

**3. Friends Forever (this one): We're both still working on it but we're still deciding who's going to write the next chapter.**

**4. Thirty Seconds: Okay well not many people read that one. I was hoping people would because that was actually going to be my favorite of the stories I've written so far, but I kinda lost the inspiration so I'm actually going to 'give' that story to TogetherWeCanFly so that she can finish it, so you can check it out when she reposts it.**

**So there's the explanations for my stories. Thanks for reading and showing an interest :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Azalea wrote dis chapter. We decided that a lot of you guys will be angry about this chapter but Azalea said, and I quote, "It's our story, we could kill them all off if we wanted to". Don't worry we're not planning on doing that.**

**So yeah when you finish this chapter, review to tell us what you think, and it would help us if you could tell us whose POV the next chapter should start and/or be in. Thanks!**

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><p><strong>PPOV<strong>

* * *

><p>I dive in front of Madge yet again to hit the volleyball, and she smiles at me gratefully. It's not that she's bad at volleyball or anything, she just seems too distracted to realize that a volleyball is about to hit her head. I wonder if she's still thinking about Gale. I wouldn't blame her. I mean, if I told Katniss that I liked her, and she didn't feel the same way, I'd feel pretty bad, too.<p>

That's completely hypothetical, though.

"I'm sorry, Peeta." Madge sighs, as Boggs goes around to all of the groups to see which side won. "I just keep spacing."

"It's all right. Happens to the best of us."

"Thanks." She smiles slightly. "I saw Katniss in the hallway, and I was talking to her."

"What did she say?"

_Did she say anything about me? _I think before I can even stop myself.

"Well, Annie decided that she wants to have a sleepover, and I asked Katniss to come, too. And she said she would!"

"Oh, that's... great?" I say, wondering why she is telling me this.

"Peeta, you're so thick." She rolls her eyes. "Girls _talk _at sleepovers."

"Okay..."

"Seriously?" She shakes her head, as if she can't believe that I haven't figured out her point yet. "Girls _talk_. If Katniss is ever going to confess that she likes you, it would be at the sleepover! Maybe, if we give her something to drink-"

"Madge, for the last time: She is-"

"Just your friend, I know." She grins at me. "And _I _am just your little spy."

Boggs blows his whistle, and Madge hurries off to the girls' locker room before I can say anything else.

**KPOV**

I can't believe I actually have to go to a sleepover. Me, of all people. I should have asked if I could send Prim in my place. But no, she would have told me that she couldn't stand to be away from that disgusting cat of hers for an entire night. Too bad. She probably would have had more fun with Madge and Annie than I will.

Sighing, I pull all of my books out of my bag and replace them with clothes, a toothbrush, and anything else that I might need. Annie even told me that I'm not allowed in, unless I bring some kind of snack to share. Where am I supposed to buy a snack?

Oh! Of course. I find myself smiling, as I finally come up with the perfect idea. I stuff some of my money into my pocket and close my bag.

"Going somewhere?"

I turn around and see Prim, smiling at me from the bedroom doorway. She rolls her eyes when I make a face at the hideous cat in her arms.

"A sleepover." I sigh.

"You sound so excited," she says sarcastically, as she sits down on my bed. I shrug, but I don't say anything else. "I'm sure it'll be fun."

"Maybe. I just don't find sleepovers as exciting as they do." She rolls her eyes. "I'm going to the bakery first. Do you want anything?"

"No." She sighs, as she lets Buttercup leave her lap. "I think we're good for now. Just go have fun, okay? And take a jacket, it's supposed to rain."

"Right." I chuckle and ignore the hideous creature hissing at me, as I lean down to hug and kiss Prim goodbye. "I'll be back tomorrow."

I pick up my bag and walk toward the front door. Of course, I remember to stop for my jacket because I know Prim will get upset if she sees that I didn't take one. My hand automatically reaches for the neon green jacket that she gave me for my birthday.

Yes, that's what happens when I tell her that my favorite color is green.

I'll look like a lollipop as soon as I put it on, but I know that it makes Prim happy when I use it. So, I use it, anyway. Just in time, too, since it starts raining just minutes after I leave the house.

**PPOV**

I absolutely love it when my parents make me work by myself. My mother isn't around to yell at me, my brothers aren't around to laugh at me, and my father isn't around to... Well, the only bad thing about my father is that he always looks so miserable, no matter what. I guess, I can't really blame him. I'd be miserable, too, if I married someone like my mother.

Anyway, without my family, it's so quiet. And even peaceful. There's only a few customers here and there. Usually they all come in early in the day, and as the day progresses, fewer and fewer customers come in. This is a bakery, after all. Most people have no need for baked goods unless they need a last minute birthday cake. Unfortunately, they usually go to a grocery store for that.

I continue kneading the dough in front of me. Honestly, I have a feeling that nobody else is going to buy bread today, but at least it's giving me something to do. Come to think of it, if my mother was here right now, she'd probably be yelling at me about how wasteful I am for making bread that nobody ordered. And once again, I can't help but feel extremely grateful that she is not here.

It begins to rain at some point. I've always loved the sound of rain. And even the feel of it.

I remember, one day, when Katniss and her mother came to the bakery. Her mother and my father were talking as usual, and Katniss was bored. As usual. So, while our parents weren't looking, she grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. When I asked her what she was doing, she grinned and asked me if I had ever heard of "Singin' in the Rain", and she then proceeded to sing a song I had never heard before. I remember laughing as we danced around and pushed each other into puddles. It was short-lived, however, since my father and her mother came outside and nearly dragged us back inside.

I also remember Katniss snickering, as her mother tried to lecture her. _My _mother yelled at me for a good hour. I got sick, and I had to clean up any dirt that fell from our clothes onto the bakery floor. But it was definitely worth it.

A nearby sound pulls me from my thoughts. It sounds like someone is knocking on the window, and when I look, I find that I was right. It's a hooded figure, but that's not what catches my attention. It's the _color _of the hood that makes me laugh. She lifts her hood to reveal her eyes and smiles back at me.

"Really, Katniss?" I chuckle, even though I know she can't hear me.

I gesture for her to come in. But she shakes her head and gestures for me to come out. I roll my eyes, but I know that I can't resist. So, I grab my jacket by the door, and I put it on, as I walk through the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Singin' in the rain." She grins at me.

"Don't you have a sleepover to go to?"

"Yes, but Annie said I can't go in unless I have a snack for them."

"Oh. So, you're using me for food?"

"Obviously." She smirks.

"How about a deal?" She rolls her eyes, and I can't help but smile. "If you do one thing for me, I'll give you whatever you want for free."

The funny thing is, I'd probably give her whatever she wants even if she doesn't hold up her end of the deal.

"I don't know." She shrugs. "It depends on what you want me to do."

"Dance with me." I smile at her, and she gives me a funny look before smiling back.

"That's it?" she asks warily.

"Yes, that's it."

"Am I allowed to step on your feet?"

"Not purposefully."

"Fair enough." She holds out her hand. "Let's do it."

I take her hand and place my other hand on her waist, as she puts her hand on my shoulder. She looks at me, confused, as if she has no idea what to do.

"You know, for someone who took a million dance lessons as a child, you're a really bad dancer."

"I never did ballroom dancing," she says defensively.

"But how do you not know how to waltz?"

"Oh, is that what you're doing?"

"Wow." I chuckle, and she makes a face at me. "Okay, let's tango." She groans, as I start dancing around, pulling her along with me. "This isn't as easy as you thought it would be, is it?" She groans again and drops her head on my shoulder. Finally, I decide to give her a break. "Okay, fine. Let's do something easier."

"Thank goodness," she mutters.

I smile, as I let go of her hand and rest both of my hands on her waist. She takes the hint, and places her hands around my neck. She's standing so close to me, that I can just barely feel her body against mine. A sigh escapes my mouth.

"I missed you so much," I say without thinking.

"I missed you, too." She smiles slightly. "I missed this."

"What, dancing in the rain?" I chuckle.

"No. I mean, things that we used to do together. I missed it when I left."

She looks up at me, as if she's checking to see if I understand, and I nod. I pull her closer and rest my head on her shoulder, and she returns the hug.

"You're my best friend," she says quietly, as if she's not sure if she should say it at all.

Although, I wish she hadn't. I try not to, but I can feel myself getting upset, just from hearing those words. I pull away a bit so that I can see her face, and she stares back at me with a strange look on her face. There's something in her eyes that I can't figure out. Her beautiful silver eyes, the eyes that you can only read if you really know her. They hold a strange type of intensity that makes me unable to look away.

"Are you okay?" she asks quietly.

"Fine." I nod slowly. "I just..."

I trail off, and she stares at me, as if she's waiting for me to finish. But I don't. Instead, I do something I never thought I would do in a million years.

I kiss her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sooo in case you guys didn't notice I'm not really that into THG right now, which is why Azalea has been writing all the chapters for a while and this one too. I'll try to get back into it to finish my other stories but I'm not really promising anything. Oh and for anyone that didn't know, we listed Peeta and Katniss as the main characters because we ship Everlark not Galeniss or whatever it is. Sorry Gale lovers!**

**This chapter is a little OOC but I think you guys will like it because it's mostly meant to be a fun chapter. Kay, remember to review! :)**

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><p><strong>PPOV<strong>

The raindrops slide down my cheeks and soak my clothing. But I really couldn't care less. There's only one thing that matters right now.

I am kissing Katniss.

I can't believe we're really doing this. Even if it is a dream, I decide that it's better to just enjoy it before it's over. Her lips are so soft against mine, and she is so close to me that I can feel the warmth from her body. She brings one of her hands to my cheek, and I even start to feel dizzy. I bring my hand up to her cheek as well, accidentally pushing her hood down in the process. Her already damp hair falls onto her face, and I brush it away, letting my fingers run through her soft, silky hair. At this moment, and every moment that will follow, I truly believe that everything about her is absolutely perfect.

The funny thing is, Katniss was my best friend for years. People always say that it's awkward for best friends to become anything more. Some people even say it's a bad idea. But _this _doesn't feel awkward, and it certainly does not feel like a bad idea. In fact, it feels amazing... perfect... perfectly amazing.

She starts to pull away a bit, but I pull her right back without thinking. I can't let this end, not yet. I pull her closer to me and run my fingers through her now-soaked hair. My other hand moves from her waist to her hip. But apparently, that was too much.

"What are you doing?" she asks, pulling away abruptly.

"W-what?" I stammer, not knowing what to say.

I thought she wanted me, too. She let me kiss her for such a long time. And the way she kissed me back... Maybe, she was just caught in the moment. Maybe, she was just trying to make me happy, and I took advantage of it. Sighing, I drop my head in shame and wonder how I could have been so stupid. Of course, Katniss doesn't want me that way. It was stupid on my part to think that she would.

"I'm sorry," I say quietly.

She says nothing for a while, and I don't have the nerve to look up. For a while, the only thing I hear is the sound of the rain, as it collides with everything in its path. Just minutes ago, the sound made me feel so at peace and even sentimental. Now, it only makes me feel uncomfortable and just plain horrible. Now, I can understand what people mean when they say that best friends trying to become anything more makes everything awkward. I definitely understand that, now.

"I have to go," Katniss murmurs.

I look up, just as she turns around and starts walking. I take a few steps to follow her.

"Katniss, wait," I call after her.

But she doesn't. She just keeps walking, and she even speeds up a little bit when she hears me. I stop, and she quickly looks over her shoulder to see if I'm following her. But I know that I can't follow her anymore, so I just stand there, watching her, as she gets further and further away until I can no longer see her.

**APOV**

"Where is she?"

"I dunno."

"If she doesn't have a snack-"

"We know, Annie."

Madge sighs tiredly, as she opens up the snack that she brought. Pretzels. Not my favorite, but I guess that's my fault since I wasn't specific enough. I reach for one, and Delly does the same, as Madge lies down on her stomach.

"Well, this is fun, guys."

"What are we supposed to do, Annie?" Madge sighs. "You said that you don't want to do anything until Katniss gets here, so how are we supposed to entertain you?"

I smirk. "Call Finnick!"

"Oh, Annie..." She rolls her eyes.

"What? We'll only be like ten minutes. Maybe fifteen, if-"

"Gross!" Madge groans, as she pulls my magazine over her head.

"We could paint each other's nails?" Delly suggests, as she pulls a nail polish bottle out of her bag.

"What color do you have?"

"Pink."

"What else?"

"That's it... Just pink."

"I'll pass." Madge nods in agreement.

"It's got sparkles!"

"No, Delly!"

"Cool it, Madge." I smirk. "How are we gonna pull an all-nighter, if you're already cranky?"

"Don't worry about me," she mumbles, still facing the ground. "I'm not the one that had a huge sugar rush and crashed at midnight."

"That was _one _time!"

"And it was scary."

"Do I want to know?"

"No, Delly, you don't."

"Fine, whatever." I sigh. "I think we have no other choice than to wait for Katniss." The doorbell rings. "Hey! Speak of the devil!"

Delly and I rush to the door, as Madge walks behind us. We bound down the stairs, giggling profusely. I'm not exactly sure why, but Delly's laugh is really contagious. I throw the front door open, and Katniss stares at me, almost wide-eyed. I look at her, confused, trying to figure out why she looks so upset.

"Welcome!" Delly chirps, her smile faltering as she realizes the same thing.

"Hey," she says quietly, as I gesture for her to come in.

"Um... did you bring a snack?" I ask, hoping to lighten the mood.

"I... What? Oh, crap... No, I forgot..."

She sighs and brings her hand to her head, like she has a headache. When she looks down, all of us exchange confused glances, wondering if maybe one person knows what's going on, but nobody does. So, finally, I take matters into my own hands.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, as Delly takes her jacket. "Do you need a towel?"

"That might help," she murmurs, as she looks down at her soaked clothing.

"Come on, then!"

I grab her hand and pull her along with me, as I go up the stairs and into my bedroom. I pull out a towel from my closet and hand it to her, as the other girls sit down. She sits down between Delly and Madge, who can't help but stare at her and wait for her to say something, and I sit down across from her.

"So..." I start. "Pretzel?"

"No, thanks," she mutters.

"Okay, let's just get to the point. What is going on?"

Katniss sighs and bites her lip, as if she's deciding whether she wants to tell us or not. Madge holds out a bottle of liquor, wordlessly offering her some, and Delly swats her hand away, telling her that alcohol isn't going to help.

"It might," Madge argues. "It works. You just drink, and out comes the secret like-"

She stops, as Katniss grabs the bottle out her hand. She takes a huge swig, emptying at least a quarter of the bottle before any of us can even stop her, and she grimaces, as she shoves the bottle back into Madge's arms.

"Oh, that is nasty."

"Katniss." I sigh. "Have you ever had alcohol before?"

"No..."

"Then, why would you-"

"Peeta kissed me," she blurts out.

All of us stare at her, and then each other, completely surprised. Katniss's cheeks turn pink, and she reaches for the bottle again, but Delly slaps her hand to stop her. I scoff, but Madge is the first one to get her words out.

"I told you it would work."

"But was it really _that _bad that you had to-"

"Do you like him? Did you kiss him back? Details!"

"I mean, if it was really _that_ bad..."

"This is so romantic!"

"And you guys always doubt me."

"Okay, all of you, shut up!" Katniss snaps, making all of us go quiet. "Madge, the alcohol did work. Congratulations. Annie, I'm not drinking because he was a bad kisser... He was actually really good. And Delly... Yes, I kissed him back."

Delly and I squeal in unison, as Madge covers her ears.

"But!" she yells, making us stop. "But then, I... stopped him..."

We both freeze completely, still holding onto each other's hands, but now the excitement is gone. Both of us try to figure out exactly what she means, but this could mean just about anything. Still, I'm hoping for the best when I finally ask.

"What do you mean, you stopped him?"

"I mean..." She sighs and runs her hand through her hair. "He kissed me, I kissed back, and then I pulled away and..."

"And?" Delly presses, her eyes wide.

"I... asked him what he was doing-"

"It's pretty damn obvious what he was doing!"

"Annie!" Madge scolds. "Go ahead, Katniss."

"Well, I said that, and then... He apologized."

"That's a first. _Apologizing _for a kiss. Now, I've heard everything."

"Annie, eat your pretzels."

"And then, I told him that I had to go, and I left..."

"That's it?" I ask, as I break a pretzel in the palm of my hand. "He didn't even try to talk to you or anything?"

"He called after me," she admits quietly. "But I just kept walking."

"So... you _don't _like him," Delly says sadly.

"No, it's not that!" She moans, as she drops her head. "I just don't know."

"Katniss?" No response. "Katniss, look at me." Finally, she sighs and looks up at me. "If there was even a single fiber of your being that enjoyed that kiss, you already know that you like him. If seeing him makes you happy, you know that you like him. If you trust him, if you don't mind seeing him at your worst and want nothing more than to see him at your best, if you can joke around with him _and _have a serious conversation with him... if he knows you, and you know him, chances are you like him."

"Wow, Annie," Madge says quietly. "That was surprisingly deep."

"Thanks." I smile. "So, do you?"

She stares at her hand, as she nervously tugs at the ends of her hair, twisting one strand around her finger. After a moment of silence, she sighs and shakes her head slowly before finally speaking.

"I enjoyed that kiss," she mumbles, more to herself. "Seeing him makes me happy, I trust him more than I trust anyone else, I don't mind seeing him at my worst, and I always want to see him at my best, I can joke around with him and have a serious conversation. He knows me, and I know him." Madge looks at me, as if she can't believe that she remembered the entire thing. And finally, Katniss looks up again. "Where does that leave me?"

"I think you already know."

She stares at me, but I don't say anything else for a while. I just watch her, waiting, as the realization slowly sets in. We all stare at her, watching her like hawks, but she doesn't seem to notice. She shifts slightly and speaks to the floor.

"I like him..."

"You're damn right, you do!"

"Annie!"

"This is so romantic!" Delly squeals.

"Okay, but wait," Katniss cuts in. "How am I supposed to..."

"Tell him?" She nods hesitantly. "Well, when I told Finnick-"

"You never told Finnick you liked him. You pretty much seduced him."

"Did not!"

"Either way." Madge turns to Katniss. "Just do what I did."

_Because that worked so well for you_, I think to myself.

Luckily, I manage to stop myself this time before the words actually come out.

"What? Just... tell him?"

"Yeah." She nods. "I mean, what have you got to lose, really?"

"You're right." She shrugs. "I should just..." She grabs the bottle, and Madge holds Delly back, as she take another swig. "Go up to him and tell him..."

"Tell him?"

"That I can't do this."

"Oh, come on!" I sigh, as I fall backward onto the carpet dramatically.

"You know what might be easier?"

We all look at Delly, as she picks up the telephone from my desk. A conflicted expression appears on Madge's face, but Delly and I smile. When I look at Katniss, though, I can see how unsure she is about this entire situation.

"Talking over the phone is easier than talking in person," I point out.

"I know, but..." She looks down again.

"But what?"

"He deserves more than that." She sighs, and all of us look around at each other again. "Why did I do that?"

"You were just surprised, that's all," I reassure her, as I put my arm around her shoulder.

"But I just... _left_ him there," she continues, becoming more emotional. "I led him on and kissed him back, and then I just..."

She groans, as her eyes begin to tear up. Delly and Madge look at me, as if they have no idea what to do, and I shrug in response. Katniss grabs the bottle again when none of us are looking, and she manages to get at least three sips before I pry it out of her hands. And then, I get it. Katniss doesn't cry. The only reason she's crying right now is because she's had too much to drink. Sure, she's only had about three quarters of a bottle, but this _is_ her first time drinking.

Still, what a lightweight.

"I'm gonna call him!" she declares, as she shoves her hand into her bag. "Thank you, Delly."

"Kat, maybe that's not such a good idea," Madge says, as she finally catches on.

"No, you're right." She pulls out her phone and starts dialing his number. "I need to tell him. I need to just tell him before I get too scared... Oh man, this alcohol is like liquid confidence." She holds up her index finger. "Shush, it's ringing."

"Okay, Katniss, no." I grab her arm and try to pull the phone out of her hand.

"Peeta!" I freeze, my hand still on her arm. "Listen, okay? I... I called to tell you that... What? No, I'm not drunk! I'm never drunk!... No, I'm fine. Now, listen... Um... You're happy, and I trust you, and I want you to see me at my worst, and... It makes plenty of sense, Peeta!"

"Okay." I finally manage to grab the phone out of her hands. Madge reaches over to hold her back, as I bring the phone to my ear. "Hi, Peeta..."

_"Annie?"_

"Yeah..."

"Gimme the phone! I have to confess my-"

Madge slaps her hand over Katniss's mouth just in time, and I give her a grateful look.

_"Is Katniss okay?" he asks._

"Yeah, fine, she just wanted to tell you... something. But she can tell you on Monday, at school."

The line goes silent for a moment, and I wonder if he has already hung up. But he hasn't. After a few seconds, he finally says one simple word, so quietly that I only just manage to hear it.

_"Okay."_

"Okay!" I chirp, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, I'll see you on Monday. Bye, Peeta!" I hang up the phone, and Katniss reaches for it.

"Give it back!"

I shove the phone into my shirt, and she stares at me, obviously disgusted.

"How badly do you want it?"

"Not _that _badly."

She sighs and lays back on the carpet. Delly snatches the bottle while she isn't looking and hides it in my closet. Madge simply stares at us tiredly, and I look around at all three of them.

"Well..." I smirk. "This must be the most interesting sleepover we've ever had."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter by Azalea again. She says that writing romance is her specialty. LOL****  
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**KPOV**

I sit with my back against the tree, as I watch the school's courtyard. There aren't many people here yet, since it's pretty early. The people that are here are just sitting and studying or doing their homework. And a couple of people, like me, are simply enjoying the quiet. The peaceful silence that will disappear, as soon as more students arrive. My eyes close, and I sigh. But I feel so anxious, so scared, and I can't seem to calm down. I just keep wondering what I'll do when Peeta gets here.

"Hey."

My eyes pop open, and I see Finnick smiling down at me. I smile slightly and wave at him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing, really." He shrugs. "I just like to get here and enjoy the quiet before it gets chaotic."

"Me, too." I sigh.

"Ever been to the Fine Arts Hall before school?"

"No..."

"You should see it." He smirks. "It's truly _magical_."

"I'll bet." He chuckles and holds out his hand for me.

"Come on." Sighing, I grab his hand, and he helps me up. "We should probably talk, anyway."

"About?" I ask, as I follow him to the school doors.

"Katniss, you know what I'm talking about."

Suddenly, I begin to feel anxious again, as I wonder if he's talking about Peeta. After all, Annie doesn't exactly seem like someone who would keep a secret. And I guess, since he's her boyfriend, Finnick would be the first person she would tell.

"Peeta?" I say quietly.

"Yes."

"So, you know that he..."

"Of course, I know." He smirks. "I'm pretty sure we all know by now."

"Great..." I mumble.

"I guess, _my _question is... What are you gonna do about it?"

"I don't know." I sigh. "I have to talk to him, I know that."

"No, you don't."

He traces the first painting on the wall of the Fine Arts Hall. It's a golden bird, with its head ducked down and its wings raised as if it is about to fly away at any moment. A mockingjay. My father used to love them.

"What do you mean?" I ask, still staring at the painting.

"You don't _have _to do anything." When he looks at me, I realize that he is serious. "Nobody's forcing you. Just like nobody forced Peeta to kiss you. He did that because he wanted to."

"I know." I duck my head, hoping he can't tell that I am blushing.

"So... do you _want _to talk to him?"

"Yes..."

"You sure?"

"Finnick, you're really not helping."

He chuckles, as we start to walk again. We walk rather slowly, appreciating all the art on the wall. This is really the only place where students are allowed to draw on the walls or practice the arts. Over and around the band room doorway, there are music notes and treble clefs drawn in black and white, with color added in certain spots. It flows so beautifully that it's difficult to believe it was really only drawn by a student.

"So, you're nervous."

"Yes..."

"And rightfully so." He sighs. "I remember this. That unsteady phase of a relationship. The one where two people want to become something more, but they don't know how. It's pretty nerve-wracking."

"How do you know that I want that?" I decide to challenge him.

"Like I said, I remember it pretty well, and I know how it feels. I can tell that both of you want the same thing."

"Finnick?"

"Hm?"

"When did you get so smart?"

"Gee, thanks." He chuckles and rolls his eyes. "But seriously, there's nothing to be nervous about. You like him, don't you?"

"Yes... I mean, I think so."

"Okay," he cuts in. "And it's obvious that he _really _likes you, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Did he ever..."

"What?" He stops to look at the paintings of food above the Consumer Science room.

"I mean, did he ever... You know, talk to you about me?"

"He told me a little bit about you when we first became friends." He chuckles. "I remember, this one time, when he got a letter from you, he kept going on and on about it. He was so excited... Wouldn't shut up about you."

I smile slightly, but I can't help but feel guilty. I had always felt bad that I stopped writing to him, but now it's even worse because I never realized how much the letters meant to him.

"That one's nice." I point at the painting above the door of the auditorium's backstage door.

"You like that one?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you know who painted it?"

"No."

He smirks, as he points at the door across the hall. The Fine Arts Room. We start walking toward it, but just as we reach it, Finnick stops.

"I better go," he says. "Annie's probably waiting for me, by now. But I think you might want to take a look inside."

"I guess, I'll see you later, then."

He nods and pats my back lightly before walking off in the opposite direction. I watch after him for a moment, wondering what waits for me in this room. Why would Finnick tell me to look inside? Maybe, he noticed that I liked the paintings so much, so he thought I might want to see more. For a moment, I consider walking away, but then I realize that Finnick might ask me which one I liked the best, later. Sighing, I decide to go in, simply so that I'll have something to say if he ever asks me about it.

As soon as I open the door, I am overwhelmed by all of the intricate art decorating the room. Some are bright, some are black and white, but they are all equally beautiful. I walk in slowly, taking in each picture. The one that catches my attention, though, is the unfinished one in the middle of the room. I stare at it, trying to figure out another possibility, but I can't. It's me. For some reason, somebody has drawn me. It's so realistic. And although I would never use this word to describe myself, the only word I can think of to describe it is 'beautiful'.

"Katniss?"

I jump and turn around, only to find two very familiar blue eyes, staring back at me. He slowly walks out of the back room, holding onto a fresh paintbrush, still wrapped up. My stomach starts to feel tingly with nervousness, and I cannot seem to find any words.

"I, um..."

"So, you found it." He smiles weakly, as walks toward the painting of me.

"Yeah, I..." I trail off, as I look at him, and suddenly it hits me. "You?"

"Yeah." He nods, sitting down on one of the stools. "What do you think?"

"It's amazing."

I smile slightly, as I walk toward him. As I stare at it, really trying to appreciate every detail he has drawn, really taking it in, he puts his arm around my waist. Before I even realize what I'm doing, I put my arm around his shoulders, as I continue to examine the painting. And for a moment, everything feels normal again. Like I only came here to see my friend's work, like we are both just appreciating it together.

Like we are both just friends, without even wondering how it might feel to become something more. But I know that we both are. And my stomach begins to tingle again, at the thought. I take a deep breath, knowing that I'll have to talk to him about it at some point. Instead, I try to focus on the painting to buy myself some time.

"I knew you liked to paint." He looks up at me, but I just stare at the paper. "But I never knew that you were_ that _good... It's so perfect."

"Thanks."

"You're really talented, you know," I say quietly. "You really are an artist."

"Thank you again."

When I look down, I realize that he is smiling up at me. I smile back, as I turn to face him. I take my hand off his shoulder, but he does not let go of my waist. Silly as it may seem, such a simple thing makes it so much easier for me to speak without getting nervous. So, before he can even decide to let go, I start talking.

"I'm so sorry, Peeta," I say, before I can stop myself. "I shouldn't have just left you there."

"Well, I shouldn't have kissed you." He sighs. "I should have asked you, first. It was wrong to just kiss you without your permission. I'm really sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"But that's the thing..." I take a deep breath, as he stares at me. "You weren't wrong-"

"Yes, I was. You don't have to-"

"Please," I cut in, knowing that this will be difficult to say, as it is. "I just think you should know... If you hadn't kissed me, I wouldn't have..."

"Wouldn't have what?"

"I wouldn't have realized that I like you," I say quickly.

I look at him from the corner of my eye, hoping he didn't understand me. But he did. I know because he is staring at me, wide-eyed. He stands up and stares down at me, but I keep my head down. After a few seconds pass, he uses his thumb to gently lift my chin, and I become momentarily afraid to breathe.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yes..." I whisper, surprised that I managed to find my voice at all.

"So, if I were to kiss you right now," he smirks, "would you kiss me back?"

"I think so."

He chuckles, as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

"You're my best friend, you know?" I nod. "We don't have to do anything that you don't want to do."

"I know." I smile slightly. "But what if I want to?"

"Well..." For a moment, he look unsure, but he composes himself. "What exactly are we talking about?"

"I mean..." I sigh. "You're my best friend, but I think we both want to be more."

"Really?" he asks quietly.

I nod slowly, and he takes a deep breath, as his hands find mine. He intertwines his fingers with mine, and I stare at our connected hands for a moment.

"I think, we could try."

"Me, too." I look up at him, and he stares right back at me and sighs. "I really want to."

He gently pulls his hands away from mine and places his arms around my waist. I wrap my arms around his neck, as he lightly kisses my cheek. Then, I rest my head on his shoulder. It feels so good to just hug him like this, to hold onto my best friend, just like I used to. But this time, it feels different. It feels like something has changed between us. It feels like some kind of wall between us has been torn down, and we are really seeing each other for the first time.

And for some reason, I love this feeling more than anything.


End file.
